Warm weather signals start of construction in Stow

With the advent of warmer weather typically comes construction and this year in Stow is no different. There are several developments in Stow, said Jesse Steadman, town planner.

Boxboro Road

Toll Brothers has been clearing land on Boxboro Road, near Minuteman Airfield, to build a 66-unit, active adult neighborhood for people 55 and older, said Steadman. The project will be called The Regency at Stow and will include a mix of single-family, duplexes and triplexes.

Four of the units will be affordable, he said, and Toll Brothers will pay a fee in lieu of building an additional 2.6 units as required by Stow’s bylaws. Three of the units will be at 150 percent of the average median income.

“Basically what that means,” Steadman said, “is they won’t necessarily be on the town’s subsidized housing inventory but they are meant to be approachable by people in this region having trouble getting into the housing market.”

Steadman said Toll Brothers will build the units as they are sold. There will be a “good amount of open space,” he said, a walkway to the Minuteman Airfield, a clubhouse and a pool.

According to the website tollbrothers.com, the price of the units starts at $453,000.

Corner of Pine Point and Sudbury roads

Habitat for Humanity will be building a duplex at the corner of Pine Point and Sudbury roads, said Steadman.

He noted Town Meeting voters approved the town’s share of the funding and Habitat will raise the remainder of the money.

Because the lot is slightly under 1.5 acres, and does not conform to Stow’s zoning bylaws, Habitat will have to go before the Zoning Board of Appeals, he said.

Jillian’s Lane

A small subdivision is under construction on Jillian’s Lane, off Walcott Street, Steadman said. There are three lots, close to the Hudson line, on this former farmstead. The existing house will remain and two new single-family houses will be built on the hill behind the original house.

Spring Hill Estates

Spring Hill Estates, a five-lot single-family home subdivision at 117 Walcott St. abutting Jillian’s Lane has been approved and construction will likely begin soon, said Steadman.

“There are five fairly big lots associated with that property,” he said, “and four of them are currently for sale.”

The property consists of 106 acres. Some of the land was designated as open space, and about 30 acres will remain as open land with no designation, he said. Right now, the subdivision will be accessed by a common driveway, but if the developer wants to build additional homes he would also have to build a road.

Joanne Drive

A preliminary subdivision plan for Joanne Drive, located off Sudbury Road, has been approved by the Planning Board, Steadman said. The board has not yet received the definitive plan, but he expects there to be around seven homes.

It will be a planned conservation development, so 60 percent of the land will be preserved as open space, and the single-family house lots will be slightly smaller than the 1.5 acre zoning requirement.

He does not know if the open land will be public or owned by a Homeowners Association.

Crowe Island

Revolution Trapeze, a flying trapeze school currently based in Watertown, will be installing a trapeze at Crowe Island.

“They are just getting ready to submit their special permit application,” Steadman said.

Stowaway Inn

Construction is already underway at the Stowaway Inn on 271 Great Road. The new owner, Phillips Heritage LLC, is doing an adaptive reuse project, updating the historic building and working closely with the town to make sure everything is historically appropriate.

The owners will live upstairs, build a café downstairs, and use the old barn for a small retail space, Steadman said.

Although the property is zoned for residential uses, he said, “we have a bylaw that says if you are going to preserve a historic building you can do a use outside of the zoning.”

Gleasondale Bridge

Construction will start early this summer on Gleasondale Bridge on Route 62, Steadman said, noting there will likely be a public hearing for abutters. Construction is being completed by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation. Steadman said he is not sure if they will close one lane at a time or close the entire bridge. He added that it would be difficult to create a detour around the bridge.

Lower Village

Steadman said improvements to Lower Village should start around July 1 and should be completed in one season. The construction plan includes center islands to make it easier for drivers to turn in and out of businesses on Great Road, dedicated bike lanes and sidewalks on both sides of the street. There will be a grass buffer between the street and sidewalk. At the May annual Town Meeting, residents approved $492,000 in funds for construction work to Lower Village, which extends from Bradley Lane to White Pond Road on Great Road, and includes the business district. Money approved at Town Meeting will be supplemented by $400,000 in Chapter 90 highway funds and a MassDOT MassWorks Infrastructure Grant of $850,000, for a total cost of $1,742,000.

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